Friends of Mill Rise / Meeting Dates

Friends of Mill Rise Meeting held on 24th November 2008

Accord has been appointed as the care provider for Mill Rise. They attended the meeting and did a presentation which
outlined their services, approach and experience. A copy of the presentation is available on request. Please contact
Gina Bennett on 635200.

After the presentation several questions were asked which are detailed below.

Will any members of Accord staff be able to do sign language?
Yes, there will be some staff trained in BSL.
There will also be an accessibility officer who will make sure that all policies and procedures are available in large print, Braille, other languages/formats as required etc.

Can Accord provide a service for housework/cleaning?
Yes, the service will be available at an hourly rate or as part of the care package where it is highlighted as an area of need in a social services assessment.
All staff will be enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checked and reference checked.

Alarms/Pullcords
All apartments will have an alarm system – pull cords in the bathroom and a pendant. There will be staff on site 24/7. All residents will pay the Supporting People charge which covers the Scheme Manager and the alarm system. 

Care Packages/Care Charges
You will only pay for care if you have a care package but this is flexible – if you find that you need short term care e.g. following an illness, you will have the opportunity to have purchase care for a short time.
The care charges are set by the County Council. We will provide these figures when we have them. We will invite the County Council to a further meeting of the Friends of Mill Rise to clarify the charges.

Fire Procedures
Accord will work with Aspire and the fire officer regarding evacuation procedures. There will be vibrating alerts, and flashing lights to warn of fire.  There will be regular fire alarm tests carried out. 

Welcome Check List
Accord will go through a check list of policies and procedures when each resident moves into Mill Rise. 

Accord Staff
All staff recruited will work solely in Mill Rise. All staff will sign a statement of confidentiality.

Night Care Workers
Two night care workers will be recruited to work at Mill Rise, this will be 1 member of staff each night. This may need to be reviewed as people’s needs change. 

Bar/Catering
There is a bar at Mill Rise, Aspire are currently looking into the licensing procedures. There is also a coffee shop on site. The bar and the coffee shop could be run by the residents. Accord may take on the cleaning and catering at Mill Rise, they are currently coming up with proposals to provide these services. 

If there are any further questions you would like to ask Accord please contact Julia Downs who will forward them to Accord on your behalf.

Rowan Village Extra Care Scheme in Meir
A visit recently took place to the Extra Care Scheme in Meir which is owned by Staffordshire Housing and care is provided by Accord. Visitors had a tour around the scheme and then had the opportunity to ask questions. Another visit is to be arranged in the New Year for those who are interested. Please contact Gina Bennett on 635200 extension 4732 if you would like to attend.